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"And then my mom was like, ‘What would you be waiting for?’ And I couldn’t come up with an answer," Lovelady said. "Point Loma has everything I was asking for."

Specifically the San Diego views of the beach, the campus, a team he felt he would fit in well with and a coach who he’s known since the eighth grade.

Lovelady, the two-time 2B Pacific League MVP, chose Point Loma over Dartmouth and West Point, he said.

"But it wasn’t really a toss up between another college, really," he said.

"I had to explain to some people why I chose Point Loma over some (Division I) offers, but once I showed them pictures, no one was complaining."

Lovelady has dominated the 2B Pacific League the past two years. Last year he averaged 21.1 points, 15.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.4 steals and 2.1 blocks per game. That was after he averaged 15.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.4 steals as a sophomore.

His father and coach, Mark Lovelady, said he sees Luke playing more point guard this season. How many 2B schools have a 6-8 point guard?

Though he said Point Loma coach Ryan Looney, who had recruited Luke since he was the coach at Seattle Pacific, sees Luke as a stretch power forward if he can put on some weight. Mark Lovelady said his son has bulked up this past offseason to almost 200 pounds.

"He spent a lot of time in the weight room and with a personal trainer," Mark Lovelady said. "That’s a testament to his work ethic to try to get to the next level."

So, yeah, Point Loma might not be as big as some of the other schools recruiting Luke Lovelady.

But Life Christian isn’t all that big either.

"Luke comes from a small school and having a small-school setting, for some kids, that’s a negative," Mark Lovelady said. "But that’s a positive for him to build great friendships and great relationships with the coaches. It was the best fit."